Page 18 of Romancing Rayne

“A pleasure to meet the woman who can put up with this here, bloke.”

“Nice to meet you, Oliver.”

“If you two are finished looking around the Central Lobby, we’ll start our tour.”

“Tour?” I looked to Ghost, then around the area and didn’t see any people gathered around waiting. “Do we have tickets?”

“No ticket needed for our tour, ma’am.”

“Oliver’s gonna give us a special, behind-the-scenes tour. I thought you might like to see the Chamber rooms.”

“Oh my God, yes. Are we allowed, or are you bribing people again?”

Oliver chuckled before he answered for Ghost. “Not exactly. He’s calling in favors, if you will.”

“I would love the super-secret tour if you’re not going to get in trouble.”

Both men laughed, and Ghost shook his head before leaning down, giving me a sweet peck on my cheek. “Princess, it is very unlikely Oliver can get into trouble. He has friends in high places.”

“Oh, so, your brethren then.”

“Something like that. Come on, let’s take a look around.”

We followed Oliver through one of the archways into a wide hallway.

“This is the Common’s Corridor. If you turn around and look back toward the lobby, the doorway directly opposite of where we are, is the Peer’s Corridor. That side of the octagon is The House of Lords. The Prince’s Chamber is also on that side. As well as Victoria Tower and the Royal Entrance.”

Oliver stopped to allow us to look at some large murals painted on the walls. Four on each side, all with very interesting names. I stood in front of one titled: The Executioner.

“Stunning artwork,” I noted.

“Not up to my tastes,” Oliver commented. “A bit stuffy if you ask me.”

He wasn’t wrong, however the history behind the paintings made them beautiful.

“This is the Common’s Lobby. You can see it’s quite a large space for nothing more than mailboxes for the MP’s and a gathering place. That, over there, is where the agenda, committee notes, and whatnot can be picked up.”

This area wasn’t as grand as the Central Lobby; however the intricate stonework and statues were still impressive.

Oliver didn’t give us long to look around before he started walking again. Marble flooring gave way to green carpet and stone walls into dark, wooden panels that were polished to a high sheen. There were several doors on either side of us, however Oliver continued to walk straight through a set of double doors.

“And this is the House of Commons Chamber.”

“Holy wow. Really?”

Ghost squeezed my hand before he let go so I could explore on my own.

The ceiling in there had to be at least three stories tall. There was a U-shaped balcony, giving anyone standing or sitting up there the perfect view to peek in on whatever debate was taking place below them.

“Why are there red lines on the floor?” I asked.

“Members may not speak from the Chamber floor. They have to remain behind the red line,” Ghost answered.

“And this?” I pointed to a large, wooden structure in the middle of the room holding books and two large brackets that looks like they were meant to display something.

“The mace is placed there when the Chamber is in session. It is a five foot long ornamental club,” Oliver explained. “It’s carried in each time the House is sitting.”

“Everything’s green in here,” I noted, looking at the stadium style seating. All the benches were upholstered in a deep, leafy color, and the carpet was a more muted hue.